Thornton, Idaho

Last updated

Thornton, Idaho
Unincorporated community
USA Idaho location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Thornton
Usa edcp location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Thornton
Coordinates: 43°45′30″N111°50′43″W / 43.75833°N 111.84528°W / 43.75833; -111.84528
Country United States
State Idaho
County Madison
Elevation
4,859 ft (1,481 m)
Time zone UTC-7 (Mountain (MST))
 • Summer (DST) UTC-6 (MDT)
Area code(s) 208 and 986
GNIS feature ID398240 [1]

Thornton (originally called Texas Siding) is an unincorporated community in Madison County, Idaho, United States, [1] [2] that was founded in 1917. [3]

Contents

Thornton was named in honor of William Ezra Thornton, who had been prominent in the establishment of the townsite, and who also was for a time Thornton's postmaster. [2]

Location

Copy of Certificate of Execution of Plat for Thornton Idaho obtained from Madison County GIS specialist Craig Rindlisbacher ThorntonTownsite.jpg
Copy of Certificate of Execution of Plat for Thornton Idaho obtained from Madison County GIS specialist Craig Rindlisbacher

Thornton lies approximately 7 miles (11 km) south of Rexburg, Idaho and is bordered on the south by the Lorenzo Bridge, which crosses over the South Fork of the Snake River. Visible in the near west horizon are the Menan Buttes. Thornton lies on the Oregon Short Line Railroad and was built around what is now a remnant of U.S. Highway 191. [3] This short segment of the original highway [4] terminates within Thornton, at an old cement bridge. [3] Since its original establishment, Thornton has been bisected by the construction of US Highway 20. The larger portion lies south of the highway- the northern portion has been nearly completely eliminated by the construction of the highway. [3] The Archer-Lyman highway begins to the north and east of Thornton and meanders south and then east towards Ririe, Idaho.

The old brick Thornton Hotel is no longer in operation and has been abandoned due to disrepair. [5]

The legal description of Thornton is "NE 4 NE 4 of Sec. 222, and of SW 4 SW 4 of Sec. 14 and of SE 4 SE 4 of sec 15 all in TS 5 N R 39 E.B.M." [6]

History

Though Thornton once thrived as "an enterprising center of commerce," [2] Thornton is now primarily a rural community. It is home to a potato warehouse and the original Thornton Merc convenience store.

At one time, Thornton "boasted of two fine general mercantile stores". [2] Thornton's store was owned in the early 1900s by George Marler. A competing store in Thornton was owned by C. L. Galbraith. [2] In 1971 Thornton Merc, which replaced the two prior mercantile stores, was opened at the old Marler's location by Mrs. Geraldine Evans. [2] As of 2010 it is still in operation, and "Marler" can still be seen faintly painted on the north side. Descendants of the Marler family still own property in Thornton. [3]

Thornton was once a place for recreation and amusement, featuring a movie picture house operated by Mr. Fritz Hansen, a saloon, and a dance hall. [2]

In the mid-1940s, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (The Church of Jesus Christ) purchased a grain elevator in Thornton from M.G. Koon and Sons. This elevator served to store welfare grain for church stakes until 1959, and can still be seen from U.S. Route 20 for many miles north and south of Thornton. [2]

When Thornton had a train depot, the Yellowstone Park Special passenger train would stop in Thornton [2] on its way to Mack's Inn [7] and Yellowstone Park. Visitors to Heise Hot Springs would arrive by railroad at Thornton and travel by horse-drawn vehicle to the nearby mineral springs.

Thornton once had a community church directed by Reverend Baird. He presided over the church until religious services were discontinued due to insufficient numbers of attendees. The Church of Jesus Christ also supported a primary and Sunday school service in Thornton for a few years. [2] This was also discontinued as the population of Thornton diminished. The Church of Jesus Christ continues to thrive in the nearby area, as expansion of Rexburg has caused commuters including employees and students of Brigham Young University–Idaho to seek available housing in Thornton and surrounding Archer and Lyman. [3]

Attractions, Landmarks

Within Thornton next to the remaining Thornton Merc is an old trailer park which now accommodates both campers and longer-term residents, many of whom are migrant workers who labor in the nearby potato warehouses. [3] Another RV Park lies south across the old concrete bridge nearer to the Snake River South Fork. The Thornton Shell gas station and convenience store lies between Highway 20 and the railroad and used to be known as the Mini Mart. [3] Behind the Shell station is the old grain elevator which now advertises the gas station. Also marooned between the two highways is an older home which was once owned by the Keith Wilcox family in the mid 1900s, which has been stranded now due to the removal of a portion of South 3300 West. [3]

See also

Flag of Idaho.svg Idahoportal

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Moscow, Idaho</span> City in northern Idaho, United States

Moscow is a city and the county seat of Latah County, Idaho. Located in the North Central region of the state along the border with Washington, it had a population of 25,435 at the 2020 census. Moscow is the home of the University of Idaho, the state's land-grant institution and primary research university.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ammon, Idaho</span> City in Idaho, United States

Ammon is a suburb city in Bonneville County, Idaho, United States. As of the 2010 US Census, the population of Ammon was 13,816. By the 2020 census, Ammon's population had grown to 17,694. It lies directly to the east of Idaho Falls and to the west of the Ammon foothills, and is the second most populous city in the Idaho Falls metropolitan area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ririe, Idaho</span> City in Idaho, United States

Ririe is a city in Bonneville and Jefferson counties in the eastern part of the U.S. state of Idaho. It is part of the Idaho Falls metropolitan area. The population was 656 at the time of the 2010 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Island Park, Idaho</span> City in Idaho, United States

Island Park is a city in Fremont County, Idaho, United States. The city's population was 286 at the 2010 census, up from 215 in 2000. The city was incorporated by owners of the many lodges and resorts along U.S. Route 20 in 1947, primarily to circumvent Idaho's liquor laws that prohibited the sale of liquor outside of city limits. It is only 500 feet (150 m) wide in most locations yet, at 33 miles (53 km), claims to have the longest "Main Street" in the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Anthony, Idaho</span> City in Idaho, United States

St. Anthony is a city in and the county seat of Fremont County, Idaho, United States. The population was 3,542 at the 2010 census, up from 3,342 in 2000. It is part of the Rexburg, Idaho Micropolitan Statistical Area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rigby, Idaho</span> City in Idaho, United States

Rigby is a city in and the county seat of Jefferson County, Idaho, United States. The population was 5,038 at the 2020 census, up from 3,945 in 2010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rexburg, Idaho</span> City in Idaho, United States

Rexburg is a city in Madison County, Idaho, United States. The population was 39,409 at the 2020 census. The city is the county seat of Madison County and its largest city. Rexburg is the principal city of the Rexburg, ID Micropolitan Statistical Area, which includes Fremont and Madison counties. The city is home to Brigham Young University–Idaho (BYU-Idaho), a private institution operated by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sugar City, Idaho</span> City in Idaho, United States

Sugar City is a city in Madison County, Idaho, United States. The population was 1,715 at the 2020 census, up from 1,514 in 2010. It is part of the Rexburg Micropolitan Statistical Area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brigham Young University–Idaho</span> Private college in Rexburg, Idaho, US

Brigham Young University–Idaho is a private college in Rexburg, Idaho. Founded 136 years ago in 1888, the college is owned and operated by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Previously known as Ricks College, it transitioned from a junior college to a baccalaureate institution in 2001.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Teton River (Idaho)</span> River in Idaho, United States

The Teton River is a 64-mile-long (103 km) tributary of the Henrys Fork of the Snake River in southeastern Idaho in the United States. It drains through the Teton Valley along the west side of the Teton Range along the Idaho-Wyoming border at the eastern end of the Snake River Plain. Its location along the western flank of the Tetons provides the river with more rainfall than many other rivers of the region.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Henrys Fork (Snake River tributary)</span> River in Idaho, United States

Henrys Fork is a tributary river of the Snake River, approximately 127 miles (204 km) long, in southeastern Idaho in the United States. It is also referred to as the North Fork of the Snake River. Its drainage basin is 3,212 square miles (8,320 km2), including its main tributary, the Teton River. Its mean annual discharge, as measured at river mile 9.2 by the United States Geological Survey (USGS), is 2,096 cubic feet per second (59.4 m3/s), with a maximum daily recorded flow of 79,000 cubic feet per second (2,240 m3/s), and a minimum of 183 cubic feet per second (5.18 m3/s). It is normally transcribed without an apostrophe.

KBYI is a public radio station in Rexburg, Idaho. It is one of two terrestrial radio stations owned by Brigham Young University-Idaho, which is an arm of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS). It has a radio format of classical music along with news and information from NPR. The main signal covers Eastern Idaho, with rebroadcasting stations around Idaho, Wyoming and Montana.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eastern Idaho</span>

Eastern Idaho is the area of Idaho lying east of the Magic Valley region. Much of the region is in the Mormon Corridor, and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints plays a major role in the lives of the region's residents.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mark Ricks</span> American politician from Idaho

Mark George Ricks was an American Republican politician from Idaho. He served as the 40th lieutenant governor of Idaho from June 2006 to January 2007.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Interstate 15 in Idaho</span> Section of Interstate highway in Idaho, United States

Interstate 15 (I-15) is a part of the Interstate Highway System that runs from San Diego, California, to Sweetgrass, Montana. In Idaho, the Interstate Highway runs exactly 196 miles (315 km) from the Utah state line near Woodruff north to the Montana state line at Monida Pass. I-15 is the primary north–south highway of Eastern Idaho. The Interstate Highway connects Pocatello and Idaho Falls, the fourth and fifth largest cities in Idaho, and the smaller county seats of Malad City, Blackfoot, and Dubois. I-15 connects all of those cities with Salt Lake City to the south and Butte to the north. The Interstate has business loops through McCammon, Inkom, Pocatello, Blackfoot, and Idaho Falls.

Freedom is an unincorporated community in both northeastern Caribou County, Idaho, and northwestern Lincoln County, Wyoming, in the United States; the Wyoming portion of the community is also a census-designated place (CDP). The population was 247 at the 2020 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Idaho</span>

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Idaho refers to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and its members in Idaho. Rexburg, Idaho is home to Brigham Young University–Idaho. Idaho has the third most church members of any U.S. state, and the second-highest percentage of members. The LDS Church is the largest denomination in Idaho, with the largest presence in Eastern Idaho.

Spring Coulee is a hamlet in southern Alberta, Canada within Cardston County, located 2 kilometres (1.2 mi) east of Highway 5, approximately 42 kilometres (26 mi) southwest of Lethbridge.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Idaho State Highway 33</span> State highway Idaho, United States

State Highway 33 (SH-33) is a state highway in eastern Idaho, spanning from U.S. Highway 20 (US 20) and US 26 to Wyoming Highway 22 (WYO 22) at the state line.

References

  1. 1 2 U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Thornton
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Historical Society, Upper Snake River Valley (Winter 1971). "Thornton". Upper Snake River Valley Historical Society Quarterly. 1 (3): 59.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Waters, Philip (August 9, 2010). "Personal History of Waters, P". Interview.
  4. ↑ Sanderson, Dale (July 19, 2009). "End of US highway 191". US Ends.com. Archived from the original on December 16, 2009. Retrieved August 24, 2010. In 1972, US 191 was shortened, such that it ended once again at its original terminus: Idaho Falls (or at least near it)
  5. ↑ Waters, Philip (August 9, 2010). "Interview with Gordon, D". Interview.
  6. ↑ (Madison County)("NE 4 NE 4 of Sec. 222, and of SW 4 SW 4 of Sec. 14 and of SE 4 SE 4 of sec 15 all in TS 5 N R 39 E.B.M").
  7. ↑ "A brief history of Mack's Inn". Henry's Fork Country. July 19, 2009. Retrieved August 25, 2010.

Commons-logo.svg Media related to Thornton, Idaho at Wikimedia Commons


This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.